Cavanaugh accused of federal violation in connection with CD1 campaign

A complaint filed with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel alleges that Kevin Cavanaugh, Congressional District 1 candidate and former Pinal County Sheriff’s Office administration commander, infringed the Hatch Act by filming parts of campaign advertisements on PCSO property with the department’s 1033 military surplus vehicles as “props.”/Kevin Cavanaugh for Congress

By Kelly Fisher | PinalCentral

Congressional District 1 Republican candidate Kevin Cavanaugh may be in violation of a federal law, according to a complaint filed with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel.

The complaint, apparently filed in late March, shortly after Cavanaugh announced his run for Congress, alleges that the former Pinal County Sheriff’s Office administration commander infringed the Hatch Act by filming parts of campaign advertisements on PCSO property with the department’s 1033 military surplus vehicles as “props.” It claims he did so as a full-time PCSO employee managing federal grants, even after announcing his candidacy.

The Hatch Act is legislation established in 1939 to block federal and some state and local government employees — particularly those receiving federal funding — from engaging in partisan activity.